New Meyle HD bushings installed.

Weasel · #1 06-06-2010, 04:48 PM

So about a week or so ago the drivers side thrust arm bushing on my X5 blew out its fluid, thus causing the shake when braking etc. we all know about with the thrust arm bushings. Seeing everyone who went with polyurethane bushings almost immediately post a thread trying to isolate the new shimmy they have and say it feels kinda rough over bumps now comparatively, I decided to go with the Meyle heavy duty bushings which are the same design as OEM, but solid rubber vs the fluid filled. I can say these are stiffer and more sporty feeling than the OEM design, feel more connection to the road... but without the overly harsh feel of the solid polyurethane bushings.

So for a quick basic guide for those looking at thrust arm bushing options, here it is.

OEM bushings: Softer more comfortable feel, wear out from 20k miles to 40k miles on average depending on where and how you drive.

Meyle HD bushings: more solid and sporty feel than OEM while lasting longer, and won't cause you to feel every shake,bump and shimmy on the road. Good balance of performance and comfort. (like M3 control arm bushings vs series bushings with E36 and E46 platforms)

Solid polyurethane bushings: Track car performance but not the best for city driving. If you live somewhere where the roads are long, smooth and winding these would be great, but in city driving may be too rough for you.

And here's the link I bought mine from. (thanks FSETH!)

https://eactuning.com/hd-control-arm...-x5-p-446.html

If one of the forums great sponsors starts carrying them they should tell start a thread as this is a good product that I feel makes more sense than the polyurethane option, while less known of.

mywidebody02 · #2 06-06-2010, 04:55 PM

Good info thanks weasel

wullaby · #3 06-06-2010, 10:23 PM

how is this front end shimmy when braking different than the feeling of say warped rotors, i get a vibration (small) when braking, i bought new pads, rotors and sensor thinking they are on its way, maybe I have to check below the car instead first?

Weasel · #4 06-07-2010, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wullaby

how is this front end shimmy when braking different than the feeling of say warped rotors, i get a vibration (small) when braking, i bought new pads, rotors and sensor thinking they are on its way, maybe I have to check below the car instead first?

If the shimmy is constant as in every time you hit the brakes, and changes with the speed of the vehicle... then it could be warped rotors. There is an easy way to test that using a dial indicator. But if the shimmy/shake isn't every time and seems to feel the same each time it happens regardless of speed, then it is likely worn front suspension components. Usually a mix between the lower control arms having just enough slack to allow the shake under moderate to heavy braking and the thrust arm bushings being work make it much easier to cause the shimmy and make it feel rougher/worse.

I'd say 80% of the shimmy I recently developed went away with the bushings, but the other 20% is still there from the original lower control arms with 96k miles on them. I'll be changing them soon too.

Engz · #5 06-06-2010, 10:43 PM

Thank you! I wanted to replaced my bushing but didn't want the polyurethane after reading a few post about how stiff it is. I will do this asap since I do have that slight vibration when I brake.

FSETH · #6 06-06-2010, 11:10 PM

Nice. Hopefully they will last longer than the OE bushings. I have had mine for about 12,000 miles so far and have been happy. I will report back if/when they fail.

amacman · #7 06-07-2010, 09:24 PM

I had the slight vibration whilst braking from high speed last summer .
no problem at normal speeds .
no leaking from bushes just beginning to look a wee bit perished and vibration a slightly worse than previously at high speed only .
have driven 6000 miles since first vibration and would like to wait a bit longer so as to do additional work on car .
how long can the thrust arm bushes last once this issue begins , bear in mind the mileage already covered and vibration only way over 80 mph . not likely to be doing higher speeds but I just test out the car sometimes to identify potential issues .

wullaby · #8 06-07-2010, 10:53 PM

Thanks weasel! Only when braking from say 50mph i notice my watch band shakes, at lower speeds its fine, it does it all the time when braking relative hard from higher speeds....i'll have to have it checked out, and can hold off on the front brake job. My truck has 80K miles...

papasmurf · #9 06-08-2010, 07:44 AM

Dammit, I just did my thrust arm bushings too...

Weasel · #10 06-08-2010, 07:53 AM

Wullaby, Just don't forget that the thrust arm bushings aren't the only thing that can have wear and cause the shaking at speeds upon braking, control arms can do it as well. The thrust arms can also usually be felt at lower speeds 10-15 mph) when sharply applying the brakes as a thunk/clunk in the front just upon braking can be felt.